| Games with books:
28 of the Best Children’s Books and How to Use Them to Help Your
Child Learn–From Preschool to Third Grade. Peggy
Kaye. Farrar *Straus* Giroux, New York: (2002) 351pp
Essential
Reading for Parents & Teachers
By
Merri Rosenberg
Here’s
an absolutely essential volume that belongs in every kindergarten
through third grade classroom.
With this useful, imaginative and creative book in hand, I could
finally understand how those pre-school and elementary school
teachers managed to come up with all those enthralling activities
that had captivated my children during their early school days.
As someone who is undeniably arts-and-crafts challenged, I had
always been somewhat in awe of those teachers who could read,
say, Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar and help
my daughter construct her own famished caterpillar.
Whether it’s a treasure hunt inspired by Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle,
crafting a house from a shoebox from The Borrowers, or
making a moon necklace triggered by a reading of Thurber’s delightful
Many Moons tale, there are countless projects contained
within these pages that
would make a beguiling rainy-day activity at home, or a worthwhile
assignment at school.
The format is simple and easy to follow. Kaye offers a plot synopsis
of each book at the beginning of a section, and then provides
at least three activities for each book. In the margins, Kaye
thoughtfully includes the materials needed to complete the activity
and a brief listing of the skills that activity will encourage.
I suspect this will probably be more useful, ultimately, to classroom
teachers rather than parents. It’s a very strong addition to a
teacher’s classroom bookshelf.#
Education
Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001.
Tel: (212) 481-5519. Fax: (212) 481-3919.Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express
consent of the publisher. © 2002.
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